Percy and Annabeth After the War
by notherwrit3r
Summary: Okay so I decided to write a more Percabeth focused version of the events directly after the "War" was over. It started of as one-shots but leads into an actual story. Warning: contains lots and lots of "fluff"! Please review, constructive criticism is completely appreciated!
1. A beginning

"So, Perseus Jackson, what will it be? Will you accept our generous gift?" Zeus demanded, his eyes flashing with barely contained lightning as always.

The gods had just offered me to be…well, a god. One of them, immortal, powerful, not having to worry about any other stupid prophecy. Who could say no to that?

I glanced back to see Thalia smiling at me serenely but the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. My eyes wandered around the room and gazed at the mighty faces of the Olympian gods. Apollo, Ares, Aphrodite, Demeter, Dionysus – did I want to be like them? Poseidon, my father, Athena – I stared into her stormy grey eyes and was reminded of the one person in the room that grounded me to my mortality –Annabeth. `2

I turned to find her staring intently at the ground, hands clenched into fists, and avoiding my gaze. And then, I knew my answer.

"No." I said as I turned to face Zeus. " I just turned 16, I have my whole life ahead of me and I'm not sure if I want to spend the rest of my mortality or…immortality, whatever…being a part of…this. I think I ward in enough trouble and complications, without being a god."

"Your-your _rejecting _our very-very gen-generous offer!" Zeus sputtered at me incredulously.

I shrugged nonchalantly feeling that if I said anything more, I would be at the wrath of the gods. I stole a glance at Annabeth and saw her do the same. She seemed to be fighting a smile and her beautiful –er I mean, stormy grey eyes shone with newfound glee. I smirked at her and looked back to Zeus once more waiting for the verdict and wondering if he would just fry me right there.

"The boy has decided." Poseidon said in his deep booming voice. Eyeing me with interest and glancing at Annabeth.

"Yes, please can we get this over with and get the party started?" Asked Dionysus. Bored. As always.

I nodded, eager to finally relax and celebrate as well. After laying down some very important ground rules for the gods and the way they treated their half-blood children and after getting disapproving glares from several pairs of eyes in the room, I walked out and let the gods be….without _me. _Hey I was still the hero that had saved their sorry butts from eternal doom. They couldn't kill me even if they wanted to –yet.

After the gods argued some more, finally the Olympian party got started. I was patted, petted, praised, passed around and also had a slightly disconcerting chat with Athena. But, I was really only looking for one person.

I found a quite spot in a courtyard so I could sit down and clear my head. The war was finally over. Luke was dead, died as a hero. Which meant that Annabeth wasn't going to be so conflicted anymore. But did she know what I felt about her? I heard some footsteps approaching from behind me and turned to find Annabeth walking up to join me. My heart did a little relay race as she approached, she looked beautiful. This was the first time I had seen her genuinely happy and healthy after what felt like forever. Her golden locks cascaded down her shoulders held up with a wreath of flowers perched on her forehead. She was wearing a flowing lavender gown and silver bracelets lined her arms. As far as I was concerned she was more beautiful than any other goddess I had seen today in that throne room. I saved her eyes for last, knowing that my already muddled thoughts would become inevitably more jumbled. I met her eyes as I smiled and she sat down.

"Hi." She said

"Hi" I replied. "Someone cleans up well."

She nudged me and looked at me. There were so many things that I wanted to say to her. But in that moment with the sweet smell of victory and Olympian nectar in the air…I just wanted to enjoy the peacefulness and bliss of the moment.

Feeling like a guy out of one of those cheesy romantic comedies that girls always cry over; I whipped up a purple orchid growing next to me with a flourish and knelt in front of Annabeth.

"Annabeth Chase…I started. Trying hard to keep a straight face. "Would you like to grace me, Percy Jackson, with the pleasure of one dance?"

Annabeth grinned, making me blush. "As long as we aren't interrupted by another hellhound, sphinx, or any other horrid creature…for the rest of our lives."

"I'll save you." I winked

"Please Seaweed Brain, _I _will save _you." _She replied taking the flower and placing her hand in mine. This time however it wasn't to save her from a raging monster or from some other effect of a fateful prophecy. This time it was to hold her and I had no intent of letting go with ease.

As I pulled her into my arms, instead of dancing like I had suggested, Annabeth surprised me and hugged me tightly. I rested my head on top of hers smelling the lemon scent from her hair and pulling her closer.

"Thank you, Percy." She whispered. And I knew that she didn't mean thank you for the flower I had just given her, but for everything. After everything we had been through I was just happy to hold her in my arms, both of us marveling at the simple fact that we had survived.

It felt very natural for me to press my lips to the top of her head.

"Anytime, Wise Girl." I replied.


	2. The Challenge

"Gotcha!" Annabeth smirked at me as I lay on the arena floor with the point of a sword at my throat, for what seemed like the millionth time that day.

"Only because I let you" I replied. It was our last few days at camp and after a day of being lazy and relaxing at the lake, Annabeth had challenged me to one on one combat.

Earlier that day:

"I can totally beat you, Seaweed Brain. Being the Hero of Olympus doesn't make you smarter than me." She had said smugly

"That may be true but you forget that I am now _invincible _and I believe I was always the better one when fighting with a sword." I had retorted just as smugly."

"Brains over brawn. And we'll see about that. Come on, lets go to the arena." She offered me her hand. I had laced my fingers through hers and let her drag me to the arena. Hey, my manhood was being seriously questioned and also I couldn't pass up the offer of finally being better at something than Annabeth.

Unfortunately, after that small moment of affection, Annabeth had taken every opportunity she could to prove that her strategy and she (for that matter) had been right. And that is how I had ended up on the ground of the arena with her standing over me, sword at my throat, and smug grin in place.

"Oh, come on Percy. I don't recall you being that bad at this…" she asked

"Like I said, maybe I'm trying to be the gentleman and letting you win. I don't really like hurting girls." I said with conviction

"Like I believe tha-"

Quick as lightning I knocked her sword out of the way with Riptide, which had just returned to my pocket. I rolled out and countered Annabeth's surprised swing with my own blade. In her shock, she swung at me again and again viciously trying to find an opening, but this time I didn't go easy on her.

With one last movement I knocked her sword out of her hands, came up behind her and had her in a vise-like grip. Sword at her throat and my lips at her ear.

" Do you believe me now?" I whispered, a smile in my voice

" You tricked me!" she accused

"First rule of battle defense, Annabeth. Never let your opponent distract you." I reminded her as I gently pressed my lips to her cheek.

"You taught me that." I reminded her. I saw her smile and I was about to suggest taking a nice peaceful walk when suddenly she stomped on my foot. And in MY moment of pain, escaped.

"HEY!" I cried indigantly

"Catch me if you caaan." She teased, backing away from me and turning to run. I caught up to her and tackled her playfully and this time we BOTH toppled to the ground.

"OW!" I cried out as I felt a sharp pain in my hand and felt the warmth of blood.

"Wha-What happened!" Annabeth asked in a panic as we untangled ourselves.

"Oh gods Percy! It must've been my dagger!" Annabeth still carried a dagger with her a majority of the time. I guess old habits die hard.

"S'not so bad…" I tried to say as I winced. "I don't think it cut deep at all it's just a small one." I assured her

"Let me see it!" Annabeth insisted taking my hand and inspecting it with worry.

"Oh gods! I'm so sorry Percy! I forgot I still had it! I am NOT carrying that stupid thing around anymore!"

"That might be a good idea" I agreed. "Just grab a band-aid, it'll be fine."

"Wait! I have a better idea." She said and ran to grab something. She was back in a flash with…..a water bottle.

"Ah, I see." I nodded. She kneeled down and proceeded to gently take my hand and pour a bit of water on it. She started at it anxiously and then watched in amazement as it closed up on its own. As a son of the sea god, water had its own healing effect on me.

"Oh thank the gods!" she breathed. "I'm so sorry Percy, I just-I get paranoid and carry that stupid dagger around an I'm so ignorant- I mean obviously things like this can happen…" she started to babble

"Hey! Hey! Annabeth!" I said as I tipped her head up with the hand that wasn't currently healing.

"Wha-what?" she asked. I impulsively leaned forward and pressed my lips to hers.

"What was that for?" she asked dizzily

"To make you shut up actually" I smirked

"SHUT U-" _Oh gods, here we go again…_I thought as I leaned in to interrupt her with a kiss, again.

"I-I guess, I see your point." She agreed after pulling away.


	3. An Unexpected Surprise Annabeth's POV

_** Okay, I'd like to thank **_PercabethAndZebrasFTW _**for the very helpful and thoughtful review! I have revised the chapter and I think I caught all of the mistakes. I also changed it up a bit because I felt like something was missing. So if you have time, please re-read and once again, REVIEW! Thanks for all of your support **_

"Right there! No! Right over there, 30 feet from each column, is it that too hard to comprehend!" I yelled in frustration. I had been overseeing the reconstruction of Olympus ever since camp ended and it was proving to be quite a frustrating job. Especially, for a perfectionist of epic proportions (me). I'd been at it all day and was just about to pull her hair out, when suddenly I felt a pair of arms wrap around me and felt someone lean down to kiss the top of my head.

"Ugh, Percy. I can't take it anymore!" I complained as I closed my eyes and leaned back against him. His arms tightened around me.

"Come on, take a break then," he insisted. "You work yourself too much."

"Well, the re-building of Olympus is no joke. It's a lot of pressure. What, with all the gods, expecting me to have a millions statues of each. I just want it to be perfect," I explained

"And it will be, because you're perfect and one of the smartest people I've met. You're good at doing what you love. So, stop stressing and relax," he insisted.

"I do need to relax, don't I?"

"Yes, yes you do. Come on, I'd like to show you something, that I've been working on," he said. Curiosity taking the best of me I abandoned my post and asked one of the lead Cyclops to supervise for the rest of the evening.

"Where are we going?" I asked

"Just walk," he said, leading me down a winding path through the city of the gods. All around me I saw satyrs, Cyclops, and minor gods hard at work, busying themselves with the construction of the plans that I had drafted. I smiled with appreciation and pride. I guess I was a little hard on them –and myself sometimes. Percy squeezed my hand gently.

"It looks amazing, Annabeth," he smiled at me.

"Thanks," I replied as I nudged his shoulder. "Look over there." I pointed to a white dome-like building with a curved golden roof. "Apollo's going to get his own museum, now he can't complain that there aren't enough statues of him."

"Apollo's a bit vain isn't he?" asked Percy

"Aren't they all?" I sighed, thinking about how much pride the Olympian gods had.

"Well, they ARE the 'Olympian Gods,'" Percy responded

"He also wants all of his poetry to be archived there so the public can appreciate it," I added; amused at Percy's pained expression.

"Remind me, to never ever go in there," Percy requested

"Sure thing. I was also thinking of making a proper bridge to connect Olympus to the mortal world. Well, the elevator to the mortal world at least," I explained. "Something, strong but sleek, and modern but futuristic at the same time."

From there, I launched into a whole explanation of suspensions, and truss designs, and the detailed planning it would all take while, Percy smiled at me, amused. After a few minutes of this, I paused.

"You aren't really listening to me are you?" I accused

"Annabeth, I love y-ahem," he cleared his throat, clearly flustered.

"Were you just going t-," I started to ask

"No I-, I couldn't listen because firstly I have no idea what you're saying….and secondly, we are …here." He had succeeded in distracting me as he led me a little way further and stopped, putting his hands over my eyes.

"Percy!" I complained, not being able to see anything made me feel off balance and I hated that feeling.

"Shhh," he urged. "Don't you trust me? It's allright," he assured me. I sighed and let him walk me forward.

"Okay just a couple more steps...and stop." He still didn't remove his hands from my eyes however. I tried to guess where I was. I smelled...flowers? Yes, lots and lots of flowers. I smelt the scent of roses in full bloom, cherry blossoms, primroses, jasmines, hyacinths, and was that…a whiff of lily?

"Percy, where are we?" I asked in wonder as he removed his hands from my eyes. I opened them to see the most magnificent garden that I had seen in my entire life. Olympus was known for its literally magical orchards and gardens but I had been so busy with the construction of the actual buildings, I hadn't even gotten a chance to start thinking about the gardens.

"Percy, how? When-when did you do all of this?" I asked in awe. Turning to face him.

"I had a little help, from Grover, you know him being the 'Lord of the Wild' and all. He has a whole load of satyrs at his disposal," he explained. "Come on, there's more."

He led me down a winding path through the garden as I tried to take everything in. There were little waterfalls around every other corner, seeming like the mirages of another mystical world. I spotted the lilies, gently floating on the surface of an exquisite pond, surrounded by some more beautiful arrangements of flowers.

Neat little hedges created alcoves in the midst of the garden and I was overwhelmed with the enormity of it. We reached a little arch bridge crossing over a stream. I admired the architecture. It was made to look effortlessly timeless and had vines encircling it. I was so engrossed in appreciating the natural beauty of the bridge that I didn't notice what was waiting on the other side.

"Annabeth, look," Percy whispered in my ear. I looked up expectantly and gasped. There was a fountain in the middle of the orchard. Cherry blossom trees lined the surrounding in a ring of beauty. The fountain was…me. Well, 8 year old me, 12 year old Thalia, and 14 year old Luke. The statue seemed to be made out of gold and depicted a time, when we had all found each other, and were, family.

Behind the fountain, was a large golden plaque, with several names engraved on it.

"_τον κήπο των ηρώων" _I read as my fingers traced over the names of the people, my friends, who had sacrificed their lives to save Olympus and preserve humanity.

"The Garden of the Heroes," Percy translated. "Hey, come here," He said as he noticed a silent tear trailing down my cheek. He hugged me close and then gently wiped away the tear with his thumb.

"Thank you." I whispered and rested my head on his chest. I couldn't believe that someone would ever do so much for me. " Percy…"

"hmm…?"

"You know what you were going to say earlier…" I started to say.

" Oh that, that was just umm…" He ran his hand through his dark tousled hair and struggled to explain, blushing. "I just, I don't know what-" I placed a finger on his lips, silencing him. I stared into his eyes, mesmerized by the startling green as always.

"I love you." I said


	4. The Necklace

_**Okay so I know I took a couple of days to update, but this is a slightly longer chapter. The next couple of chapters are going to pick up the pace and the stories going to go in a bit of a different direction, so stick with me. Please read till the end because that's where the best part is (hint hint), and as always, REVIEW! Thanks for all of your support **_

There was 10 days left till summer ended and both Annabeth and I, were set to spend every minute together, until she had to go to a private school in upstate New York and I stayed in the city. After spending some time at Olympus, helping Annabeth oversee the final touches on the completely transformed city, I had convinced her to spend the rest of the day with me. We'd watched a movie, gone for dinner, and finally found a relatively secluded alcove at Central Park. Surprisingly, our day hadn't been interrupted by any monsters, big or small, and for that, I was grateful.

It was near sunset and I was perfectly content to sit with my head in Annabeth's lap, as she leaned against a tree, reading. She absentmindedly ran her hand through my already messily tousled hair. I closed my eyes, feeling at peace as the last dim rays of sunlight caused a golden hue to fill my eyes under closed lids.

"How can you read that and not fall asleep?" I asked

"Shut up Percy. I actually happen to _like _reading," Annabeth quipped. I opened my eyes and looked up at her. Her blonde hair had tints of golden sunlight speckled over it like a disarray of spilt glitter. Her eyebrows were scrunched together in concentration and she bit her lip unconsciously, as she always did when focusing on something.

"Better than me," I teased, continuing the conversation. She looked down at me in disapproval. "Come on, Annabeth I only have so much time to spend with you before you head off to school."

"You'll still see me, Percy," she reminded me

"Not as often as I like," I countered. She sighed and put her book away as I got up and leaned next to her shoulder. She put her head on my shoulder and I automatically moved to wrap my arms around her.

"Mmmm, this is nice," she sighed and closed her eyes. She leaned in to press her lips to my neck. It felt like heat radiated from that single spot to the very tips of my toes, filling me with warmth. I turned my face towards hers and surprised her by pressing my lips to hers. I felt her smile and place her hand on my neck, urging me closer.

After pulling away we sat and watched as the sun said its goodbye for the day and the last rays of daylight filtered into dusk. The sky was a pattern of colors, the red fading into the deepest of orange, the auburn fading into yellow, with hints of purple outlining the spectacle.

"I love sunset. It's one of the most beautiful things I've seen, "Annabeth whispered

"That's debatable," I argued as I threw a pointed look her way.

"Thank you," she said, knowing what I had implied. She nudged my shoulder before settling back into my embrace. "Percy," she started to say, before hesitating.

"Yea?" I prompted her

"I have something to tell you, well ask actually…" she trailed off

"What is it?" I asked, curious.

"Well, I just found out that my dad is leaving for Alaska in a week-"

"Alaska?" I asked, bewildered.

"Yes, Alaska. He's going there to do some research for his latest project, anyways, long story. But, the thing is that he won't be returning till next year and he asked me to visit him, and I don't know what to do, because…" she trailed off again, agitated as she started down at her hands.

I slowly processed what she was trying to say. Annabeth wanted to go see her dad before he left. It made sense, I mean he rarely ever got to see her and they had just recently started to fix things with each other. But, that meant that the last few days of summer would consist of me, alone, without her.

It made me sound, needy or clingy. But the problem was that I myself didn't know how often I could see Annabeth once she went to school. The private school she was going to attend was also a boarding school. It had strict rules about when even _family _could visit, and _family _didn't consist of _boyfriends. _So, I wasn't even sure that I _could _see her till, I don't know, _thanksgiving? _But, I couldn't be selfish, she had to see her dad. She wouldn't be able to see him for an entire year, whereas I just had to survive _maybe _a month or two.

"Do you want to go?" I asked as I used a finger to tip her face upwards to search her eyes.

"I- I don't know Percy, I'm conflicted. Part of me wants to stay here and spend as much time as I possibly can, with you and part of me wants to go see him before he leaves. I don't know-"

"You should go," I stopped her.

"Are-are you sure?" she asked, her grey eyes searching my green ones for any hint of hesitancy.

"I'm sure," I promised, and smiled. Her face broke into a huge grin and she hugged me with a fierceness that knocked me to the ground.

"Sorry," she giggled before helping me up.

"It's okay," I laughed with her. I do have one request though," I said

"Anything," Annabeth promised

"Can we make one visit to Camp before you leave for San Francisco?" I asked

"That's a great idea, Percy! Chiron would love to see us, I haven't been there since summer started and I'm actually kind of curious to see how the construction of the new cabins is going," Annabeth agreed.

"Okay, so tomorrow morning I'll pick you up. I think Paul might let me borrow his new Prius, if I promise not to dent it with Pegasus hooves this time," I laughed

"Sounds like a plan," Annabeth responded

We headed back to my apartment but before Annabeth could leave I remembered something.

"Wait, I just have to give- er show you something," I said, dragging her to my bedroom.

"What?" Annabeth looked bewildered.

I looked through my drawers as Annabeth stood near the doorway, looking as confused as ever. I finally pulled out what I was looking for. "This," I said as I held out a tiny black box made of velvet, in my palm.

"Percy, you shouldn't have…."

"Just open it," I insisted. Annabeth gingerly took the box in her hand and opened it to find a silver chain with an ornate heart made of clear crystal attached as a pendant. It was a tiny thing but I knew that Annabeth would hate an overwhelming present.

"It's beautiful," she sighed as her fingers traced over it gingerly. Her eyes were alight with happiness and I was glad I hadn't waited to give it to her.

"But Percy…why? You don't need to do this for me."

"I want to," I assured her. "I was going to wait till the last day you were here, so you'd have something to remember me by, but I guess since you're leaving the day after tomorrow….I figured now was as good of a time as any."

"Where did you get this?" She breathed in awe

"Chiron gave it to me," I started. Annabeth looked at me with a confused expression, "Well, Aphrodite gave it to Chiron…" I trailed of embarrassed

"Aphrodite? Why would she give _Chiron_ a necklace," Annabeth asked trying to hold back laughter.

"It wasn't intended for Chiron, it was for me. Well, for me to-to give to you. Aphrodite took a certain interest in us a while back, but Chiron wasn't sure it was safe. Knowing Aphrodite she might have put some enchantment on it or something. But he gave it to me at the end of last summer, before the war," I explained.

"And…he deemed it safe?" Annabeth asked, amused.

I nodded. "The pendant originally belonged to Poseidon. I know this because he saw it in my room, when he came to talk to me last time. He-he recognized it because, he meant to give it to…my mother…before- Aphrodite stole it. Apparently she can't resist 'beautiful things' especially ones that have anything to do with…love."

"Love…?" Annabeth asked. I looked up at her not able to say anything more. "Here, help me put it on," she said. I gingerly took the necklace out of her waiting hand and proceeded to close the clasp around her neck. Annabeth flipped her hair out of the way and my clumsy hands finally managed to secure the necklace in place. She turned around and faced me with a huge smile on her face.

"It's glowing," Annabeth gasped. I looked at her, my eyes softening.

"As awkward as that conversation was with Poseidon, he did mention one other thing," I said as I took her hands in mine. "The necklace is enchanted. If it glows when put on a person, it means that they…love…the one who put it on them."

"You already knew that," Annabeth blushed furiously and hid her face against my chest.

"It's nice to see, nonetheless," I said as I gently cupped my hands around her face and lifted her eyes to mine. "I love you too, Annabeth," I whispered.


	5. Camp

_**Hey everyone! Okay so I know I haven't updated in a few days but things have been quite busy. This chapter isn't as Percabeth focused as I personally would've like to be either ;) They have a few moments though but the next chapter is going to have much more. This one is necessary for developing the plot however. So, enjoy! I have exciting stuff planned for the next few chapters so keep reading Thanks for the support and as always PLEASEEEE review! Motivate mee! **_

"Come on, Annabeth let's get going!" I yelled through the door as I was putting away the last of her luggage into the trunk of Paul's Prius. I was going to drop her off to the airport tomorrow morning after we visited Camp. I had wanted to get an early start, but at this rate I didn't think that was happening. _Jeez, what do girls need to do that takes them so long to get out of the house? _

"Annaaaaaaaaaaabetttthhhhhhhh," I sang.

"I'm coming, I'm coming Percy. Jeez. I was just making sure I had everything," Annabeth said, annoyed as she came running out of the door carrying one more suitcase.

"There's more?" I asked, throwing a pointed glance at the suitcase in her hand. I took it from her and lifted it into the trunk. _Man, it was heavy. _"What did you put in there?" I asked Annabeth as I patted my back gingerly.

"Oh you know…just some books, Daedalus' laptop, some blueprints, the usual…" she blushed as I raised my eyebrows at her. "Well, I thought we were in a hurry to leave," she reminded me, changing the subject. "_Let's get going, _Seaweed Brain," she mocked in a poor attempt at imitating my voice.

"I do NOT sound like that," I complained but opened the door for her in an exaggerated manner, showing that _**I**_ could be well-behaved and mature.

"Thank you," she said with mock-stiffness and climbed into her seat with a pointed expression and her head held up in a show of pride. I closed the door once she got in and stuck my tongue out at her through the window in a childish gesture.

"So much for being mature," she smirked as I got in to the driver's seat.

"Hey, I am _so _mature," I argued as I leaned over to kiss her on the cheek.

She scoffed in amusement. "Sure, sure. So, are you planning to drive this thing anytime soon…?" She questioned

"Yes. As a matter of fact I am," I retorted, my hand reaching for the steering wheel and my foot reaching for the pedal, but before I could start driving, Annabeth suddenly grabbed my shirt and planted a kiss on my lips. She didn't pull away for a long time, and when she did- I was dizzy.

"Er, ahem. Uhhh," I tried to clear my head shaking it slightly. "What was that for?" I asked, still feeling slightly dizzy.

"Because I can," she shrugged and grinned at me. I narrowed my eyes, knowing that it wasn't the full reason.

"Fine…" she sighed. "I'm just really grateful that you're being so understanding about this whole thing…so, thank you," she explained.

I grinned at her. "See…I am _so _mature," I said as I finally pulled out onto the road and started driving towards camp.

_An hour or so later…_

Annabeth and I walked towards the Big House, hand in hand. I looked around enjoying the sight of campers and satyrs busy at work, building new cabins. Campers milled about some waved, eyeing us curiously, others, knowingly. Travis and Connor Stoll walked by hooting and whistling obnoxiously, causing me to feel as if my already burning cheeks were going to catch on fire. Despite, all of the unwanted attention however, it felt nice to be back.

"Back to bother me again?" Chiron asked as we walked in.

"You know it," I grinned as Annabeth embraced Chiron and stepped back. My arm automatically went around her waist, a habit I had developed over the summer. Chiron raised his eyebrows, looking at us.

"So…you two…" He started, Annabeth and I blushed furiously under his curious stare and I hastily removed my arm from around Annabeth.

"How's the construction going?" Annabeth asked quickly, before Chiron could start asking questions.

"It's good, a bit hectic…we could use some more helping hands," he added, throwing us a meaningful look.

"Don't worry, we knew you would try to drag us into it, so I came mentally prepared," I said. Annabeth elbowed me in the ribs. "Ow!" I groaned even though it hadn't really hurt at all.

"We're totally ready to help, Chiron, I'll go and get started right away," Annabeth said before turning to leave.

"Wait," I grabbed her hand before she could go. "Meet me at the beach in the evening, okay, once you're done," I whispered under my breath. She nodded quickly before heading out. I turned to face Chiron. He stared at me reproachfully with his arms crossed across his chest. I felt awkward, until he smirked at me.

"I knew this would have happened, one day," he shrugged and started to walk out. "Make yourself useful Jackson, and don't let me catch you doing something I wouldn't want to see, I know you and Annabeth are just visiting but _all _camp rules still apply," he reminded me before smirking at my flabbergasted expression and walking, well…trotting, out.

I stood there blushing furiously at what Chiron had implied and then walked out to help the other campers with building. I headed towards the new cabins being constructed and caught sight of someone I hadn't seen since summer had started.

"Nico!" I yelled as I saw a small, dark figure standing up in front of the almost finished, Hades cabin. He turned around looking to see who had shouted his name.

"Percy! Hey!" he grinned at me before clasping my hand and slapping my back with a hug. "How have you been?" he asked

"I could ask you the same thing, you look a lot happier than the sorrowful kid I met a couple of years ago."

Nico grinned at me mischievously. "Well, you know…my er-dad has been a lot more…_appreciative _of the totally awesome kid he has, lately." Nico explained sheepishly as he rubbed his hand behind his neck.

"That's great, man. You totally deserve some appreciation," I winked. Nico had been one of the main reasons that the Olympian gods had survived the titan war, without him, I wouldn't have been standing there.

"Thanks Percy. Oh you know Thalia is here with some hunters, just for a few hours though, they said that they had to talk to Chiron about something that they're looking for. Nothing major though apparently."

"Seriously? _The Hunters _are here? They hate coming here, must be something seriously important."

"It _IS _something seriously important, kelp-head." I turned around to find Thalia smirking at me. She looked the same as always, you know, same blue eyes, spiky black hair, and brimming with attitude.

"Nice to see you too, Thalia, and kelp-head? Really, couldn't think of anything better?" I asked. She smiled at me and punched my arm as a greeting. Why did everyone like hitting me, all of the time? But this was Thalia, so I didn't say anything, knowing that I would get fried at the spot if I did.

"Where's Annabeth?" she asked, looking around. "Speaking of Annabeth," she glared at me with a dark look. "You better be treating her right or I swear I will hunt you down," she threatened. I opened my mouth to retort defensively.

"I-I, I am," I sputtered as Thalia narrowed her eyes at me.

"Lighten up, Percy. I'm just messing with you. I know you will," Thalia said. It sounded more like a demand than confidence in me, though. "Well you two, carry on here, I'm going to find Annabeth."

"She's probably helping with the other cabins," I said as Thalia headed off in her direction. I looked around and found her supervising and directing the construction of one of the minor gods' cabins. Always the leader, I thought. Her blond curls fluttered in the light summer breeze and I found myself smiling at the way she stood, arms crossed and eyes flashing at something she disapproved of.

"hello, hellooo….earth to Percy," Nico waved his hand in front of my face, snapping me out of my daydream. I shook my head, trying to clear it. "You really, like her don't you?" Nico smirked.

"I love her" I blurted out before thinking. Nico looked at me, confused before understanding crossed his face.

"Whew," he whistled. "Always knew…" he winked.

I sighed, did _everyone _know?


	6. Broken

"Have you seen Percy around?" Annabeth asked around. He had asked her to meet her at the beach near evening but Annabeth was done a little early and couldn't find him anywhere.

"ANNABETH!" she heard someone yell her name and turned around to find a thin figure running towards her.

"Nico!" Annabeth smiled and gave him a quick hug. "How have you been!"

"I'm great, I'm good Annabeth, thanks! You been keeping busy, rebuilding Olympus?" he asked.

"Yeah it took a lot of work, but it's almost finished," Annabeth grinned.

"I bet it looks great. Are you looking for Percy?" Nico asked

"Yea, I don't know where he went," Annabeth said looking around

"I think he went up to his cabin to get cleaned up, you can check there."

"All right, thanks Nico! It's great seeing you again! Don't get into any trouble," Annabeth smiled and walked away to find Percy.

Annabeth walked through the camp towards the old cabins, admiring the surroundings. She walked up to the familiar Poseidon cabin. Technically, she wasn't supposed to go inside the cabin but Chiron wasn't anywhere around anyways so she walked in, taking the risk.

"Percy? Hello? Gods Percy, you could've told me you were-" Annabeth said, annoyed.

She caught sight of him lying on the bed, still in his work clothes, streaked with bits of dust. His messy black hair lay tousled on his forehead and he seemed to be deep asleep. Annabeth's expression softened as she sat down slowly on the edge of the bed. She reached out to gently brush his hair out of his eyes. _Gods he was even cuter when he was asleep. _She couldn't believe how different things were. At this time last year Annabeth would never have guessed that she would actually be able to be _with _Percy. I mean there had always been moments where she thought that the stupid Seaweed Brain meant something more to her. But, being her, she never fully admitted those feelings, even to herself. With all the conflict surrounding them, she had never been able to ever focus her attention on what she wanted anyways.

Now, she was glad that Percy was still a part of her life. She caught herself smiling stupidly whenever she thought about him and even now, every time those startling green eyes met hers, her heart did a little relay race in her chest. She had never had anyone make her feel so safe. Her relationship with her dad was healing but she could never erase the scars that she still bore from when she was little. Percy had taught her how to trust someone again. He had taught her what it felt like to actually have faith in not only others but herself, and for that she knew that she would always owe him. It made her unimaginably happy to say that she had found someone who wasn't just her best friend but also the person she loved.

Annabeth continued gently tracing her fingers over his face. She traced the light circles under his eyes that indicated the nightmares he still probably saw at night. Her fingers traced over his cheekbone before going back to smoothing his hair back from his forehead.

Percy slowly opened his eyes as he felt Annabeth's touch. He looked up, still half-asleep to find Annabeth sitting next to him. His lips pulled into a lopsided smile and he suddenly pulled her down next to him.

"Percyyy," Annabeth complained as she struggled against his grip. "How can you have this much strength when you just woke up?"

Percy laughed as he trailed his lips down her jaw coming to a rest at a spot right next to her lips.

"Percy! We can't. Do. This. Here. I just came to kick your sorry but out of bed," Annabeth argued as she continued to strain to get away from his vise-like circle of arms.

"Hmm, I think…." Percy said as he rolled over, crushing her under him. "That…" he said as he gently kissed the tip of her nose, "You're probably right," he grinned before kissing her once and releasing her from under him.

"One day, I'm going to take a dip in the Styx and then I'll be the one laughing," Annabeth said as she glared at him. Percy just grinned at her his sleep-tousled hair distracting her from what she was trying to say.

"I might hold you to that," Percy threatened. "Come on, let's go down to the beach," he said as he offered her his hand. Annabeth took it easily before remembering that she probably smelled- well however you smell after a day of hard work in the sun.

"Can I just go shower quickly, I feel disgusting," she said

"Oh yea, I was supposed to clean up as well- er before I fell asleep," Percy said sheepishly

"It's okay."

"Okay, go get showered, and I'll meet you at the beach in 20 minutes," Percy said and started to walk away but Annabeth pulled him close and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before whispering in his ear,

"Don't fall asleep again," she warned and walked out.

About 20 minutes later…

Percy wandered over to the beach kicking his shoes off on the way and liking the feeling of the sand between his toes. The beach was luckily empty as the other campers were off doing other activities. He took a seat at the shore staring out at the almost-setting sun. It was dusk again, his favorite time of day. He watched as the water lapped at the shore before gently pulling away. He sat there thinking about what he would say to Annabeth when she showed up after him. She hated being late, to anything. He smiled at the way she would narrow her eyes at him, knowing that he was right. He was so caught up in day dreaming about her that he didn't notice someone walk up and sit uncomfortably close to him.

"Hi Percy!" Drew said perkily.

Percy resisted the urge to roll his eyes and moved away, feeling extremely uncomfortable at how close she was sitting. He turned to face her and found her batting those annoying eyelashes at him. Drew was one of Aphrodite's daughters and no matter how pretty all the other guys thought she was, he just didn't see the attraction. Drew was always set on making other people feel inferior and she treated every other guy like her own personal conquest. In his third year of camp she had started taking a creepy interest in him. He always wondered if her sudden interest had anything to do with her mom's disconcerting interest in him and Annabeth. Aphrodite's daughters all believed in a stupid thing called a Rite of Passage, well the shallow ones anyways, and he didn't intend on ever being subject to that for Drew.

"How are youuu?" she gushed at him in that annoying high pitched voice.

"Fine thanks." Percy replied in a clipped tone before edging away even more as he felt her knee graze his leg.

"I'm sooo glad you came to visit Percy! I missed you!"

"Did you?" asked Percy looking away, searching for Annabeth and clearly not interested in Drew's attempt at making conversation.

"Oh my gosh, Percy! There's a bug in your hair!" she said before reaching out to brush it out. Percy stopped her before she could and attempted to take it out himself.

"It's still there, let me just help you get it out!" Drew said looking at him innocently. Percy narrowed his eyes but before he could argue she leaned over to brush at his hair. Before Percy even knew what was happening he felt her lips on his and felt himself being pushed to the ground.

After a moment of utter shock he pushed Drew away forcefully and glared at her furiously.

"What do you think you're doing!" he yelled but not before he caught sight of a retreating figure running way in the distance, a mane of curly blond hair trailing the image.

"Annabeth!" he yelled. "Don't ever come near me again," Percy spat at Drew. She just smirked at him and shrugged.

"Not my fault she can't take a joke."

Percy resisted the urge to kick her and took off after Annabeth. She had run towards his cabin and he took off in the direction, running at full speed. He reached the door of his cabin, finding it wide open and walked in quickly. His eyes searched around frantically for Annabeth.

"Annabeth!" he yelled. He turned around in frustration and spotted a streak of silver on the ground. It was the necklace he had given her, the pendant still glowing with what he hoped wasn't over. His heart felt like it was being shattered in his chest. _Where was she? He had to find her and explain._

Percy rushed out and ran towards Half-Blood Hill. He spotted her getting into the camp van with Argus at the wheel, a backpack on her shoulder and a suitcase in hand.

"Annabeth!" he yelled again running towards her. She turned around and whipped back around getting into the van, but not before he caught sight of her eyes. The grey, lined with tears and filled with an emptiness that made his heart ache.

"No, wait!" He yelled as the van drove away to take Annabeth to San Francisco, leaving a wake of dust behind and a broken necklace in his hand as a reminder of what had been.

_**A/N: It isn't over I promise! I have lots of stuff coming up so keep reviewing and reading Thanks for your support once again! Tell me what you think and any ideas on what will happen next? **_


	7. Apart

_**A/N: This chapter might not be the one you guys are waiting for but it just needs to be there! The next one will be out very very soon, I promise! Keep reading! Exciting things coming up!**_

_**San Francisco: **_

Annabeth's family knew that something was wrong the minute her dad picked her up from the airport. The grey eyes that were usually intuitive and alert were now hollow and empty.

"How are you?" Mr. Chase had asked as he had put his arm around his daughter's shoulder and led her out of the airport.

"Great," Annabeth had said and tried for a smile but was sure it came out as a grimace. Mr. Chase noticed that the smile didn't quite reach her eyes but didn't push her.

Over the past few days that Annabeth had spent with them, she went through the motions of being a happy teenager but she wasn't fooling anyone. She ate, played with her little brothers, went out with the rest of her family and pretended that she was having a great time. Sometimes her dad would walk in waving the phone at her, telling her it was either Thalia or…_him_. Every time, she waved him away and left him to come up with an excuse.

But in the moments where she wasn't busy pretending she would sit with a book in her hand and _again_, pretend to read it. When really, she would be gazing out the window, staring at the sunset that was a painful reminder of someone that she wished she would forget. On rainy days, she would climb into the little alcove in her bedroom, with a cup of hot cocoa and let the carefully held back tears, finally trail down her cheeks. She still didn't understand what she had seen, _why? Why would Percy do that to her? _Images of what had happened kept flashing through her mind. Each brought a fresh new pain with it, scarring her already damaged heart. All that she saw was, _Drew kissing Percy. Percy kissing Drew. _Over and over again her mind replayed the image in her head. _Why couldn't she just let go of it? She wasn't one of those stupid girls who needed a guy to make her happy. She was perfectly fine on her own. _But was she really?

Her entire time in San Francisco was spent in a subdued kind of daze. Annabeth just felt like she was a walking, talking shell. The prospect of going back to school was a good distraction but the fact that in order to do that, she'd have to go back to New York, was painful. On her last day Thalia called again and this time Annabeth took the phone.

"Hey Talz," she said tiredly.

"Annabeth! Where have you been!" Thalia asked.

"Long story," I sighed.

"Well, get ready to tell me it…," Thalia said.

"Talz, it's just…" Annabeth sighed and for the first time since it happened retold the incident to Thalia. At first all she heard was dead silence and then,

"I am going to KILL that stupid kelp-head," she growled.

"Whatever Thalia, just forget it-"

"No," she interrupted. "I know what you need; I am coming to see you."

"No, Thalia, really I'm fine! You need to do your Hunter stuff-"

"Exactly, I need to do my _Hunter Stuff," _Thalia repeated.

"er…what?" Annabeth asked confused

"Well, you told me you're going to Crown Grove Private…and I know for a fact that they have a really over-the-top cheesy masquerade ball every year," Thalia explained.

"How do you know that?" Annabeth asked suspiciously.

"Oh, I have my ways," Thalia waved the subject away. "Anyways, get ready because we are going."

"Thalia! I hate dances and to be honest I am really not in the mood for one!" Annabeth complained.

"Hey! That's the only way I get to see you! Crown Grove Private has _the _worst visiting rules of all time. Plus I really do need to do some Hunter Stuff while I'm there." Thalia whined.

"Fine. But only for you." Annabeth said.

"Yes! Okay I'll see you then. Bye." And with that Thalia hung up.

At the airport the same day, her dad quietly pulled her aside and said,

"Annabeth, I won't pretend to know what you're going through but I've known you and Percy for a while-" Annabeth cringed at his name. "- to know that whatever happened between you is only temporary. You guys will get through this."

With that he clasped her into a hug and Annabeth said, nothing. She cracked another fake smile and walked onto her plane heading to **Crown Grove Private School**. The school was specifically targeted to those interested in architecture as a future and that seemed to Annabeth as not only a great attribute but also a major distraction.

_**New York: **_

Percy sat with his head in his hands for what seemed like the thousandth time that week. He went between wanting to rip his hair out and punching Drew in the face to wanting to do nothing but curling up to sulk in bed all day. At that time though he was leaning against his and Annabeth's favorite tree in Central Park and staring down at a silver chain attached to a now, not-glowing, crystal heart. He wondered if the necklace was reciprocating the numbness his own heart felt, or worse what Annabeth felt- or _didn't_ feel anymore. More than the frustration and more than the anger he felt, pain. Along with the pain came a strange hollow feeling, as if his entire body was devoid of any emotion other than emptiness and pain. He had called her, emailed her, and even written a letter, but she seemed bent on pretending that Percy never existed. _How could she doubt him that easily? _He thought angrily at times. He wanted to explain but he would never get the chance. Annabeth was going to be at her boarding school and Percy would be going back to Goode for the fall. He couldn't, -_wouldn't _wait until camp in the summer.

With that thought Percy rushed back to his apartment and ransacked his room, turning things over and whipping his sheets off the bed. He sighed in relief once he spotted what he was looking for, a golden drachma. Percy ran to his balcony and found the little hose his mom used to water the few plants they kept. He turned the hose on angling it up so it created a mist and the sun's rays bent through it to create, a rainbow.

_**A/N: I hate to keep you guys waiting but the next chapter will come out very soon! What did you guys think of this chapter? Sound off in the comments. What do you think Percy's doing? And if Annabeth and Thalia DO end up going to the masquerade, what should they wear? Any suggestions? Please review! Is it possible that I could get just 5 more reviews before the next chapter? As always thanks in advance **_


	8. Masquerade

_**A/N: Ahhhhhhhh! It's here! I didn't think I would be able to finish it this fast but even I couldn't wait that long so I literally spent the whole day on it! Anyways, I'll shut up now and let you read. WAIT! If you skipped some of the last chapters go back and read them because you won't be able to understand this one fully if you didn't. ENJOYYY!**_

I walked in with my arms crossed over my chest in a gesture of defiance, trailing behind Thalia. She had shown up early and forced me to put on a stupid dress and a stupid mask, not taking no for an answer. Secretly, I loved the dress Thalia had brought with her for me but I would never admit it to her. The dress I had donned was sleeveless, and while I would usually feel uncomfortable wearing something like that, the dress was the definition of elegance. The bodice was a honey golden shade embroidered with delicate rhinestones forming an intricate pattern across my waist. The skirt itself was the purest shade of gold and had a shimmering pattern that came to a spectacular finishing at the bottom. I felt out of my element wearing it, like I wasn't really me for the night, but someone else and I realized that maybe that's what I wanted to do, just for one night pretend that I wasn't Annabeth Chase. Thalia had forced me to wear gloves and a mask detailed with an elaborate arrangement of rhinestones. She had sat me down and styled my already curly hair piling half on my head and letting the rest of my locks cascade down my shoulders.

I personally never thought that I would catch Thalia dead in a dress but there she was, wearing a short black and grey dress with her converse. She was being suspiciously invested in this whole masquerade deal, what was she up to? When I had questioned her about the "hunter stuff" she had to do she waved it away and said it was complicated and that she'd take care of it. I had narrowed my eyes and meant to launch into an interrogation before I was busy distancing myself from the bag of make-up she had brought out. She'd eventually gotten it on me but not before I put up a fight. Thalia's electric blue eyes were blazing around the room in stark contrast to her dark dress. She'd chosen to wear lightly studded gloves and mask, of course. It was Thalia; she had to add some element of punk to her attire.

I looked around the room and couldn't help but be in awe of the immense amount of effort Crown Grove Private put into the decoration and organization of the event. The annual masquerade they held was meant to show the level of creativity, status, and sophistication Crown Grove offered its students to potential board members and elite parents of the attendees. Practically everyone who attended was either filthy rich or super smart; I guess I fell in the latter category.

The room was decorated to create an aura of mystique. A twinkling of blue, yellow, and green lights dotted the sealing and the walls in wavy patterns, casting shadows at everything they touched. Tables upon tables of hors d'oeuvres and other food dotted the outside of the scene. Billowy but delicate curtains lined the edges of the room and created several little alcoves, one containing a fortune teller. The front of the room had a make-shift stage where an annoyingly enthusiastic DJ sat spinning out music. I rolled my eyes as I saw my classmates get caught up in the moment of the whole situation and dance around to the music.

"Thalia!" I complained. "What are we doing here!?"

"Come on, Annabeth! It just started, let's go and grab some food." She grabbed me by the arm and waltzed over to the food table. I stared at the sophisticated appetizers not really having an appetite for them; couldn't they put out some nice pizza? That was the thing about rich events like this, the food had to be fancy too and fancy food was no fun. Thalia on the other hand, was loving it and was trying a bit of everything.

"Annabeth you HAVE to try this at least!" she said. I turned to find her by the chocolate fountain next to a table laden with all kinds of fruit. I shrugged and grabbed a strawberry dipping it under the chocolate.

"Mmm. This is actually really good," I agreed as I savored the taste. Thalia winked at me before helping herself to some more. I laughed for what felt like the first time in ages as I saw her stuff herself. Typical Thalia. As I was laughing I felt someone tap my shoulder and whipped around in alarm. My heart almost stopped in my chest. I was facing a familiar mane of tousled black hair. I searched his face looking for the eyes that would confirm my fear. In the shadows however I couldn't see through his mask, it seemed almost as if they were covered by a small piece of netting laced onto the inside of the mask. I cleared my throat and straightened up eyeing him with curiosity, waiting for him to say something. He merely held out a hand, offering me to dance. I hesitated, _who was this guy? Was it…him? _I realized he might have spoken but the music had just turned up and had drowned out his voice. There was something about him that was just so heartbreakingly familiar.

"Percy?" I tried to shout over the music. The boy looked at me and nodded but I didn't think he'd heard me. I nervously glanced at Thalia who nodded knowingly and gestured for me to take his hand. I hesitantly placed my hand in his and felt the strangest sense of familiarity. _It was Percy, _I thought. The boy placed one hand on my waist and I felt strange being so close to him when I didn't really even know who it was. He grinned at me, sensing my hesitation and I was struck with another image of _him. _I tried to search his face again as he guided me across the floor to the back of the room. He let go of my waist there but kept holding my hand. I was so busy trying to decipher the color of his eyes that I didn't notice that he had led me outside to one of the many decorated gazebos behind the school. The gazebos had been decorated to fit with the theme of the masquerade and looked especially beautiful at night time with the glittering of the lights trailing the pillars of the structures. Flowers surrounded the images of beauty and I was reminded achingly of another garden that had been built for me. I turned to face the boy, glad that I could finally have a conversation and figure out whom it was. I spotted him casually leaning against the wall a bit away from the light of the gazebos. I approached him, confused.

"Percy…?" I asked cautiously. Something was off. I felt a chill down my spine as I saw the face of the boy start to distort and shimmer. I started to back away slowly and turned around to run, veins bursting with adrenalin. _How could I have been so stupid? _Something caught the back of my dress and I felt myself being thrown against the wall the face of the monster inches away from mine. I tried to choke out a scream as I realized what was in front of me. Fangs of incredible length were inches away from my throat and the hissing of his snake-covered head surrounded me from every side. The eyes. The eyes were the most frightening. Blood red pupils lined with green slime and I felt his claws delicately perched on both of my shoulders trapping me against the wall. I tried to look down to determine what kind of monster it was and spotted a leg made of bronze and one looking disturbingly like the leg of a donkey. _Empousa. _That was the first name that ran through my head. But never had I ever seen a male _empousa. No wonder he'd tried to lure me away. _My hand instinctively went straight to the spot on my waist where I kept my dagger but I froze in fear when I realized that I had stopped carrying it with me a long time ago. _Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. _I internally cursed myself. I did the first thing that came to my mind. I spat into the monsters face with all of the viciousness I could muster and rolled out of his grip. I made a beeline towards the inside of the school planning to get Thalia, but once again I felt myself being pulled back and thrown into the shadows. _This is it I thought. I'm going to die because I was stupid enough to let a monster lure me away. What the hell had happened to my usually keen senses? _I closed my eyes and turned my face away as I saw the monster approach my neck, fangs ready to kill. I channeled my last thoughts to who I had thought the monster had been. The familiar face filling my mind and then-

I heard the sharp screech of a blade slicing through flesh and opened my eyes to find the edge of a golden blade cut straight through the monster all the way to the top of its head, slicing right between the eyes. The monster screeched a horrible scream and I covered my ears as it vanished in a cloud of dust. I blinked trying to clear my vision and looked up in shock at the face of Percy Jackson. His tortured green eyes stared down at me and his proximity was such that I could feel his heart beating fast and his chest rising up and down as he caught his breath. This time, it was really him. We stood there like that in shock for a beat too long and then I realized that _he was really there _and I brought my hands up to his chest and pushed him away. The green eyes that had haunted me for the past few weeks had finally become a reality. I started to walk away not knowing what to say and I felt him grab my wrist as I tried to brush past him.

"Annabeth," he sighed. The way he said my name almost broke my resolve right there. I closed my eyes and felt all of the emotions that I had been holding in for the past few days come crashing down in one blow. Pain. Betrayal. Heartbreak. But most of all an achingly strong desire to turn around and bury myself in his arms.

"Let go of me." I said as I opened my eyes, still refusing to look at him. His hand slowly released its grip on my wrist and I rushed away into one of the gazebos not wanting to be in the horrible cool of the shadows anymore.

"I need two minutes, Annabeth. Just give me a chance to explain." He pleaded as he approached behind me. I crossed my arms, facing away from him and sat down on the bench inside of the gazebo. I looked away, at anything but him.

"You have one." I whispered. He sighed in relief and cautiously took a seat on the bench as far away from me as it would allow. I noticed that he was wearing a black tux and part of me wondered where he had gotten it. He looked heartbreakingly handsome and I ached to reach out and brush his hair out of his eyes. Part of me ached for him to sit closer but I guess he sensed that I wouldn't allow it. With that he began.

"I-I don't know what to say to make you believe that what you saw wasn't true. It wasn't me. It-it was all that vapid conniving little b-." He started, agitation leaking into his voice and I felt a small vindictive kind of pleasure as I heard him start to insult Drew.

"Can you just explain why I saw MY boyfr-." I stopped, hesitating. "Why would you kiss her Percy?" My voice broke and I looked away quickly to hide the moisture that had started to fill my eyes.

"Annabeth." He said softly and his hand automatically reached for me but he slowly set it back down when he realized the intangible wall that was up between us was still there. "Annabeth, you know that Drew likes to ruin everyone's relationships. I was sitting there waiting for, _you. _She came out of nowhere and did-did what she did," he spat. "You ran away before you saw me push her way, I didn't even know what was happening. You know she makes it her own personal mission to make people feel like crap," he insisted.

I still refused to look at him but couldn't help and let a little bubble of hope rise up inside of me. I started to realize how stupid I had been. How could I have doubted Percy? He was right, Drew was a vapid little b-. Anyways, point was that I had been pushing myself away from him just because of my own pride. My fatal flaw. Pride. I felt him get up and lean down in front of me. His hand reached for my face and he gently turned me to face him and I let him. For the first time in weeks I let myself really look into his eyes again rememorizing every feature of his face that I had missed so much. His green eyes stared into my grey ones and seemed to be doing the same.

"Annabeth. I don't care about Drew or anyone else. When I told you I loved you I meant it, and I would never do anything to betray that on purpose. I love _you," _he said again cupping my face in his hands and forcing me to look him in the eye. I saw no hint of hesitancy or deceit in his eyes. He meant what he said. "…and I'm so so sorry if I hurt you but it was never intentionally." He took a deep breath and let go of my face. "I didn't come here to make you take me back but I thought that it was only fair you know the truth. I'll understand if you never want to see me again," and with that Percy wiped away a tear that was trailing down my cheek and got up, starting to walk away. I lifted my face watching his retreating back and made my decision, this time _I _was running after _him,_ and I didn't care about my pride.

"I'm sorry!" I choked out as I slammed into him from behind, winding my hands through under his arms and burying my face in his shoulder. I felt him breathe a sigh of relief as his hands reached up to lace his fingers through mine. It felt so…good, to be near him again. The feel of his fingers intertwined with mine. We stayed like that for a while, both of us drinking in the fact that we were together. After a bit, Percy turned around and gathered me into his arms. I rested my head against his chest hearing the familiar sound of his heart beating against my ear. He gently released me and got down on his knee. I looked at him confused before he pulled out a rather squished purple orchid and my heart melted at the sight.

"Annabeth Chase…" he started. "Would you like to grace me, Percy Jackson, with the pleasure of one dance?" he winked. Last time Percy had asked me that question was after both of us had fought a long hard war against the titans, this time it felt like we had fought our own personal battle before reuniting in victory.

"Of course," I whispered and let him lead me back to the gazebo. He placed one hand on the small of my back and clasped mine in the other, tightly. There was no music, but I didn't care. Not one bit.

"So tell me, _how _exactly did you wind up here?" I asked as we began to move in a loose circle formation, not really dancing but not really standing still.

"Thalia," he grinned.

"Ahh. I see. So that's why she was acting so weird," I admitted. "You got her to put on a dress for me?" I laughed.

"Well…she cares about you and even though she'll never admit it…" he leaned in close and whispered in my ear, "I think she likes seeing us together."

I giggled before taking my hand out of Percy's and resting it on his chest. I leaned my head in so it rested in the crook of his neck, "I missed you, Seaweed Brain," I whispered.

"I missed you too, Wise Girl," he said. "Oh, I almost forgot! He said before letting go of me. I pouted as he stepped away from me. He grinned raising a finger motioning for me to give him a second. He reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a familiar silver chain, an ornate crystal heart dangling from it.

"Oh." I said, blushing as I remembered the state I had left it in. I gingerly reached out to take the pendant in my hand. "It's still beautiful," I managed. "I don't deserve to wear this Percy," I started.

"Annabeth, you're the only one that I would ever give this to so stop injuring my feelings and turn around," he demanded. I blushed and turned around as he secured the necklace around my neck for the second time and this time I intended to keep it forever. I turned to face him and heard his breath catch as he noticed the glow return to the pendant. I glanced down at it and blushed before looking up to meet his eyes.

He leaned down to press his lips against mine for the first time in weeks, soft and gentle. I responded with intensity pouring out all of the emotions I had held in for so long into the kiss. I kissed him like I had never kissed him before. His arms tightened around me as he pulled me closer and my hands wound into his hair, drinking him in. I felt whole again. Complete. I hadn't realized just how much I had missed him and being there in his embrace again made me realize just how much I needed him. We both pulled away after what felt like forever, breathing heavily. He rested his forehead against mine as both of us tried to catch our breath.

"You still love me," he whispered.

"Who said I stopped?" I asked, smiling.

He leaned in to kiss me again. I pulled him closer eagerly. We got lost in each other until I heard someone yell-

"HEY LOVEBIRDS, IS THERE SOMEONE YOU'D LIKE TO THANK?"

I laughed as I pulled away to see Thalia walking up to us a wide grin on her face. I placed my hand in Percy's as I walked towards her. He intertwined our fingers together as a promise that he'd never let me go and I squeezed his hand reciprocating that I had no intention of letting go in the first place.

_**A/N: so….what did you think!? Please tell me in your reviews. What was your favorite moment? Did you expect what happened, to happen? Also, I want to thank everyone who has already reviewed this story! I asked for 5 more reviews in the last chapter and you guys were so sweet and responded immediately! I plan on continuing with this story but need some ideas…what would you like to see? **_


	9. Author's Note

_** Hi everyone, I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while but I promise I will very very soon! Things have just been insanely busy! Either way, I forgot one VERY IMPORTANT thing last time so here it is:**_

_** A BIG THANKYOU TO **_LivGirl16 _**who's idea it was originally to do a masquerade. She's the one who jumpstarted that whole story line so go and shower her with compliments and read her stories (which are really good btw). So once again, sorry for the lateness but THANK YOU **_LivGirl16!


	10. Reunion

**A/N: I know you all probably hate me by now for updating so late but here it is! Yayy! Finally. This isn't my best chapter but I know you all have been waiting so I had to write it. There's a lot of follow up chapters coming right after this so don't worry a lot is going to happen. This time I won't make you wait as long though ;) Also, I know that I tend to make the characters a bit OOC sometimes but I mean this is fanfiction that's what makes it fun. I apologize in advance for any spelling/grammar errors.**

I stood there leaning against the hood of Paul's Prius that I had borrowed for the afternoon. I tapped my foot impatiently as I waited, staring at the elite, brownstone, intimidating building glaring down at me. I squinted my eyes peering through the afternoon sun through the rustic gate that guarded the entrance and waited for the big brown door at the front of Crown Grove Private to open.

I hadn't seen Annabeth since the masquerade and it had been 2 months too many. Fall was starting to kick in as the leaves started turning their colors from green to yellow, wilting. And I felt the same way. We had talked to each other on the phone and through email but it just wasn't the same as having her there, grey eyes observing everything around her and my fingers laced through hers. It was thanksgiving break and since Annabeth didn't have any legal guardian in the state of New York, technically Crown Grove wasn't supposed to let her off campus. But, no way was I letting her spend Thanksgiving holed up alone when I was sitting in the same state as her. So, I had gotten Paul to work his magic. Turns out he had a friend, a _lady _friend working for the school administration, acting as the headmistress to be exact, (something my mom hadn't been too pleased about). Anyways, he'd charmed his way into talking to her and then convinced her that Annabeth would be perfectly safe with us for the break.

Which is why, I was standing there waiting for her to finally walk out of that door. Students streamed out of the gates, still in their school uniforms, walking towards their families and friends. Some gave me curious looks as they walked by, I probably looked out of place with my washed out jeans, t-shirt, and tousled hair. I looked around again for a familiar pair of grey eyes and I finally spotted her walking out, laughing at something. Even after all this time, my heart still beat loudly pounding out a jagged rhythm as I caught sight of her. I couldn't help but let a slow grin spread across my face.

She was walking next to two girls who I assumed were her new friends. One was tall and brunette and was the one who'd made Annabeth laugh. Another girl about the same height as Annabeth walked on her other side. She had an olive skin tone, dark hair, and wore glasses. I eyed them curiously as they walked towards the gate. The brunette suddenly looked up, probably at her family calling to her. The three stopped and hugged each other before saying good bye and walking to their respective families. Annabeth waved at the two and was out of the gate. She still hadn't caught sight of me and just as I was about to call out her name, she turned around and her eyes locked into mine.

A grin mirroring my own spread across her face and she started walking towards me slowly as if afraid that I was some sort of hallucination. I ran my hand through my hair, a habit I had and acted on whenever I felt nervous and Annabeth always made me feel flustered. I tucked my hands into the pockets of my jeans and mirrored her slow walk. We were just a short distance apart when suddenly I couldn't wait any longer. She began running towards me at the same time I began running towards her.

I wrapped my arms around her waist as she jumped into them and I couldn't resist but spin her around in a circle as her arms encircled my neck. She buried her face in my neck and I buried mine in her hair, drinking in her familiar scent. It had been far too long and in that moment all I cared about was that she was finally with me again. I let her down soon after when I realized people were really starting to stare. We both blushed but she grinned up at me as the color started to fill her cheeks.

"Weren't you going to introduce me to your friends?" I teased

"Well, if I had seen you literally 30 seconds ago then I would have," she smirked up at me.

"Some other time then," I agreed.

"I missed you Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said. I automatically pulled her closer and leaned in to softly brush my lips against hers. She pulled away too soon and I pouted,

"Let's get out of here," Annabeth laughed.

"Your wish is my command," I joked. Annabeth rolled her eyes as I opened the door for her.

"Annabeth," I whispered as I touched her arm gently as she turned to climb in. She paused and turned around to face me curiously. Before she could stop me, I pressed my lips forcefully against hers. I felt her hands reach up and tangle themselves in my hair despite herself. I smiled against her lips as I felt her pull me closer. I pulled away but only after we were both left breathless. I leaned my forehead against hers.

"For the record, I missed you way more than you missed me," I whispered. I felt Annabeth's hand trail down my chest and then she pushed me away, rolling her eyes.

"Get in the car and drive Seaweed Brain," she laughed. I playfully narrowed my eyes at her and then got into the driver's side driving towards Manhattan. She reached over to take my free hand. I sighed in contentment as I felt her lace her fingers through mine. She leaned over to place a quick peck on my cheek. I smiled as I realized that this would probably be the best Thanksgiving Break of my life.

**A/N: Please don't forget to review if I could get just 5 more before the next update it will make me so happy! As always thanks for your support : ) **


	11. Dinner

**A/N: I actually put this chapter up last night because I was just so eager but I had to take it down because I noticed so many grammatical and spelling errors But it's here now! So, it's all good. I also want to thank everyone who reviewed! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! You guys are amazing. **

"Moommm! We're home," Percy yelled as Annabeth and he entered through the door of the apartment.

"Annabeth," Sally exclaimed as she saw her. She drew her into a big hug before pulling away and looking at her, "You just keep getting taller don't you?" she asked.

"It's nice to see you again too, Mrs. Jackson," Annabeth grinned.

"Oh please, two months away at boarding school and you're calling me Mrs. Jackson? What happened to plain old Sally?"

"I'm sorry. I meant, nice to see you again _Sally," _Annabeth laughed as Percy's mom made a face at being addressed so formally.

"Hi, mom. It's good to see you care about me too," Percy teased as he leaned in to give his mom a quick kiss on the cheek. Sally and Annabeth rolled their eyes in unison.

"I'm going to take these to the guest room," Percy said as he started dragging Annabeth's suitcase away.

"Oh here I'll help," Annabeth said as she started lifting the rest of her luggage.

"No no, dear. Percy will take care of it, he's been preparing to do all of this for weeks. You don't know how excited he's been. You go and get washed up and then let's eat. You must be hungry."

Percy blushed as his mom nonchalantly told his girlfriend that he was basically desperate to see her, "Mooom!" he complained.

"What? I'm just stating the obvious," Sally Jackson said as she spread her hands in an 'I'm innocent' gesture. Annabeth laughed as Percy frowned and dragged her suitcase away and Sally led her into the kitchen.

"Oh, um can I just use the bathroom really quick, ya know…long drive," Annabeth explained.

"Oh yea, sorry, of course. Just go into the guest room where Percy just went, the bathroom's on you're right," Sally explained.

"Thanks," Annabeth said and headed to the guest room. She looked around for Percy but before she spotted him putting her suitcases away in the corner she spotted something else quite peculiar.

"What is _this?"_ Annabeth grinned mischievously as she held up a fairly demented looking stuffed animal off the bed. Percy whirled around in surprise not having noticed that she had entered the room. His mouth formed a small 'o' as he took in the sight of his favorite childhood teddy bear being waved around in Annabeth's hands.

"Er….nothing. Annabeth raise her eyebrows. "Fine, that is… ," he explained.

"Mr…Fuzzy? Hmm…" Annabeth inquired trying not to laugh.

"Shut up, don't tell me you never slept with a stuffed animal," Percy stuttered as he began to turn more and more red by the second.

"Not when I'm 16 years old," Annabeth laughed.

"Are you making fun of me?" Percy asked as he narrowed his eyes and stalked towards her with suspicion.

"Noo…sir. I am definitely not making fun of a 16 year old who still sleeps with his teddy be- AHHHHHH," Annabeth screamed as Percy playfully tackled her, falling on top of her as she lost her balance and toppled onto the bed.

"Percy! Get. Off. Me," Annabeth giggled.

"Give back," he demanded as he strained to reach for the bear.

"Neveerrrr!" Annabeth teased as she lifted her hands above her head and kept the bear away from Percy's hands. After a few more seconds of him tackling her and her trying to get away, Percy tried a new tactic. He locked his gaze with Annabeth,

"Please Annabeth, Pleaseee?" he asked quietly as his sea green eyes smoldered her. He could feel her heart begin to beat loudly against him and he smiled because he knew it was working.

Annabeth narrowed her eyes in suspicion, knowing what he was trying to do, "Are you seriously trying to seduce me into giving you your teddy bear back?" she tried to ask nonchalantly but heard the edge in her own voice as Percy's eyes messed with her train of thought.

"Is it working?" Percy smirked from above her. Annabeth opened her mouth to answer defiantly –

"PERCYY! ANNABETH! DINNER'S READY!" Sally's voice called from the kitchen. They sprang apart, startled. They hadn't realized what kind of position they were in. Annabeth smirked,

"Dinner's ready, Percy," and with that she jumped up and walked out of the room the bear still clutched in her hands. She paused to at the door to turn around and stick her tongue out at him.

"Real mature Wise girl, real mature."

**At dinner:**

"Sally, this is soo good," Annabeth said as she ate Percy's mom's delicious pasta.

"I'm glad you like it," Sally grinned.

"So, Annabeth, how is it up at Crown Grove High?" Paul asked.

"-Boring, without me of course," Percy interrupted.

"No. It's not. Boring," Annabeth retorted, "It's actually quite a relief not having you there irritating me every few minutes," Annabeth said smugly.

"Irritating? Please, you can't live two days without me '_irritating' _you," Percy scoffed.

Sally laughed, "It's okay Annabeth. I understand how you feel," Sally joked as she reached over to pat Annabeth's hand in condolence. Annabeth grinned at Percy's betrayed expression.

"Well, we have something we want to tell you," Paul started. Percy and I both glanced at each other curiously before he asked cautiously,

"What is it?"

"Well, since you two haven't seen each other for so long and your mom and I needed a little change of scenery…" Paul explained.

"We decided to rent a cottage up by the Finger Lakes in Rochester before the weather starts to get colder and take a little mini-vacation," Sally finished.

"It's beautiful there at this time of year and you guys can go canoeing, hiking, and all sorts of other stuff!" Paul added.

"Seriously?" Percy grinned, "We're really going to spend thanksgiving there?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yup."

"I love that place! I'll finally get to show it to Annabeth!" he said excitedly and then stopped awkwardly, "Wait, you're okay with this right?" he asked her.

"Okay with it? I love it! This is amazing!" I said.

"Okay then it's settled, we're going to be leaving tomorrow morning. So, get packed and we'll leave around 10," Paul said.

"Thank you guys for doing this," Annabeth said sincerely and gratefully to Percy's parents. They had always been so kind to her.

**A/N: As always REVIEEWWWW :D Just 3 more reviews and I'll post the next chapter! And if there's any spelling/grammar errors left sorry!**


	12. Starry Night

"Shhhh," Percy whispered as he put a finger to his lips and gestured Annabeth forward.

"I'm trying to be quite!" Annabeth hissed. Percy smirked, amused in the darkness. He and Annabeth had spent a whole day of bliss with Paul and his mom. The Finger Lakes area was gorgeous and they'd thoroughly enjoyed it. They'd gone canoeing, hiking, had a barbecue, and in general just had fun. But, he still had one more thing that he needed to show Annabeth. They were trying to quietly sneak out of the cabin but judging by how "quite" they were, they ran a really huge risk of being caught in an awkward situation by Percy's parents.

"OW! Seaweed Brain that was my head," Annabeth complained.

"Sorry! I can't see anything in the dark!" Percy said sheepishly. He waved his hand around and let out a sigh of relief when he finally found Annabeth's hand. "Okay, the doors that way, come on." He whispered and led Annabeth to the door of the cottage. His hand reached for the doorknob and he gently eased it open, dragging Annabeth out with him.

"Whew," he exclaimed once they were finally out in the cool night air. "Aren't I so stealthy?" he winked at Annabeth.

"You're about as stealthy as an elephant walking into the middle of a ballet," Annabeth said as she rolled her eyes and started to move away.

"Hey...where are you going?" Percy asked as he caught her waist from the back and pulled her close. "I have to show you something!" he whispered in her ear. She shivered against him as his cool breath grazed her ear.

"Well let's go then," Annabeth replied and grinned as Percy started to lead the way. It was a cool night and the sky was lit up with the brilliance of millions of stars. They dotted the black velvet in patterns, looking like twinkling lights of a faraway world. Annabeth had always been fascinated by the constellations that could be found in the night sky but living in New York, she was very rarely able to see all of them. Here in the seclusion away from the city, the true beauty of the majesty of the starts could really be appreciated. Annabeth spotted the glistening waters of the lake at a short distance and realized that Percy must be leading her towards it although, why, she had no idea. When they finally reached the lake both of them stood there for a second awed by the beauty of the scene at night. The twinkling lights of the Milky Way were reflected in the cool water of the lake, dusting the area with brilliance and casting an aura of mystery. A light breeze was circulating off the surface of the lake and once again Annabeth shivered.

"Here," Percy said as he removed his jacket and placed it around Annabeth's shoulders. "Sorry, I should've reminded you to bring a light jacket," he apologized. Annabeth looked up at him and smiled.

"Maybe I just like wearing yours," she teased as she drank in the scent of Percy now surrounding her, he smelled amazing. Like a mixture of the purest ocean and something more that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Percy's eyes sparkled in the darkness and he removed a backpack from his shoulder that Annabeth hadn't noticed before. He pulled out a large blanket and lay it down on the sandy artificial beach. He also pulled out a thermos which she assumed had something warm to drink in it. She grinned as she realized what he was doing. Annabeth had mentioned a long time ago, that she'd always wanted to camp out and watch the stars but she'd totally forgotten that conversation until now.

Percy smiled back at her as he lay down with his hands behind his head on top of the blanket and gestured for Annabeth to join him. Annabeth felt a blush color her cheeks but gingerly lay down next to him, staring at the sky.

"You remembered?" she asked softly. Her fingers brushed softly against Percy's hand causing him to take a sharp intake of breath. You'd think he'd be used to being near her by now but the slightest touch still made him nervous and caused a mosh pit of butterflies to churn in his stomach.

"Of course," he responded as he took her hand softly in his and used his thumb to trace a small arc on the back of her hand. He felt Annabeth's face turn towards him,

"Thank you," she whispered. Percy turned to face her and was stunned by her as always. Her blond locks fell gently across her face and under the light of the moon she looked even more beautiful, her eyes lit up with emotion. Percy smiled as he reached out his free hand to brush her hair out of her face.

"This isn't it," he whispered as his smile widened and he pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and sat up suddenly. Annabeth sat up surprised and looked at him curiously.

"What more is there?" Annabeth inquired.

"You know where the constellation for Zoë is right? The Huntress?" he asked.

"Yeah…it's right over…." Annabeth searched for it in the night sky, "There!" she pointed when she finally found it.

"Good, now look at that star right next to it, right over…there," he said as he pointed at it. Annabeth shifted her eyes as his finger guided her to the star he was talking about. "Do you know what it's called?" He asked her.

Annabeth frantic ally searched her mind, she knew all of the constellations and names of the stars but this one, she couldn't place. But she wasn't about to tell Percy that, she hated not knowing. After a minute of trying to guess and Percy looking at her, amused she pouted. "Fine, you got me, I don't know, what is it?" she asked challenging him and raising her eyebrows.

"Annabeth," he said simply. She looked at him confused.

"What?" she asked.

"Annabeth," he said again. "The star's name is, Annabeth." He told her with a grin. Annabeth's eyes widened as she understood.

"You had it named for me?" Annabeth asked in shock.

"Yup. It's all right here," he said as he opened up the piece of paper in his hand. "Certified by the International Star Registry," he told her. Annabeth looked at him in shock,

"You…named…a star….after…me?" she asked again, stupidly. Percy laughed at her awestruck expression.

"Yes Wise Girl, I named a star after you," he clarified again. Annabeth's gaze softened as she stared deep into his sea green eyes. Her heart thudded in her chest as she tried to say three words with difficulty, so she just whispered them.

"I love you," she said. Percy's easy grin slipped as something more intense took its place. He leaned in slowly. His lips brushed softly against hers, slowly at first and then building as more passion took its place. Percy's arms wound around Annabeth's waist as he pulled her closer. Her hands traveled up to his hair as she wound her fingers through the tousled mess.

"I love you too," Percy breathed once they finally pulled apart to catch their breath. Shortly after they made their way back to the cottage and Percy stopped at her bedroom door to kiss her goodnight.

"Thanks for tonight," Annabeth whispered to him. Percy leaned down to kiss her softly.

"I'm glad you liked it," he replied and started to turn around to go to bed,

"Wait," Annabeth said as she grabbed his wrist.

"What is it?" Percy asked, concerned.

Annabeth swallowed and then said, "Will you…will you um…stay with me tonight?" she asked quietly. Percy looked at her for a second and Annabeth turned red.

"Not-not _that _way. Just like stay with me not, _stay _with me-"

Percy cut her off as he picked her up bridal-style and she laughed as her embarrassment faded away, she trusted Percy and she also knew that he had understood what she was trying to say. He carried her to her bed and set her down gently before pulling up the covers.

"I'll be right back, just have to change." He said and with that he kissed her forehead softly and left.

_**This is immensely late and you all probably hate me at this point but I just had some major family stuff going on that I can't exactly explain so I wasn't really in the state of mind to write but it's finally here. Enjoy Thanks for all of the incredible people who reviewed last time! Your support is greatly appreciated. I will try and update faster from now on.**_


	13. Confessions

**REVISED CHAPTER: Some of you noticed some mistakes with the point of view and that's because I started it as first person but switched it to third so I must have missed some parts! I'm so sorry about that sometimes when I get really excited to post a chapter I forget to proofread properly :$**

Percy quietly snuck back into Annabeth's room and made his way cautiously to the bed.

"Annabeth?" he whispered into the darkness. "Annaa…ARRGGHHHGHAAHHHHH," he screamed when a body jumped onto his back and a hand clamped down onto his mouth stopping him mid-scream. He fell back onto the bed forcefully with Annabeth still on his back. She climbed off of him shaking with silent laughter.

"You- HAHAH….you- should've-seen-hahah—your face!" she tried to say between mad hysterics of silent laughs. Percy glared at her,

"I hate you," he said as he crossed his arms over his chest and lay down with his back to the still-laughing Annabeth. A few seconds later he felt someone settle down next to him and felt a hand softly settle on his arm.

"Percy?" she pleaded. "Come on Percy, I'm sor-" she tried to say before bursting out into laughter again. Percy let his held-back grin fill his face as he heard her laugh and joined her.

"Shhhh," he said as he reached over to put a finger on her lips. "I must've looked pretty stupid I guess," he whispered staring into her grey eyes. She smirked as she gently removed his finger and pressed her lips to his fingers.

"Oh, this isn't the first time," she smirked. Percy glared at her and she shrugged. The silence slowly settled over them as her eyes began to close ever so slightly. Percy reached out my hand to gently trace his thumb over her cheek.

"Annabeth…," he started hesitatingly.

"Hmmm?" she mussed with her eyes still closed.

"I-I know that you don't like to talk about this but," he paused. "But- I just need to know, when-when did you realize that it was…me…and not…Luke?" Her eyes flew open in surprise. She took a deep breath and leaned away from his hand, turning onto her back and crossing her hands over her stomach. Percy felt bad and immediately wanted to take the question back. He waited for her to talk, his heart beginning to pound in my chest.

"I-I'm sorry, you don't have to answer that," he said.

"No Percy, it's okay, I-I just that was a really confusing time for me and it's hard for me to put what I feel into words."

"You know what, you don't have to explain anything to me-" Percy started and faltered as he saw her cheek pull into a smile.

"No, I owe you that Seaweed Brain," she interrupted.

"You don't owe me anything," he said.

"But I want to explain, you already know most of it but," she started. He waited. "When I was little…and Thalia and Luke found me, you know that they became my family. For the longest time, I hadn't had that sort of trust, or protection, or loyalty in my life and Luke gave that to me, he made me feel important and made me feel like I had someone who would always be there for me. But, Percy I never…loved…him. I'd always though I did but now, I know that I didn't. Because…..you happened," she paused to turn to me and look into my green eyes. I held my breath and waited for her to continue.

Her voice was softer now, " For the first day you walked into camp, I thought that you were the most irritating Seaweed Brain to ever walk the planet but you irritated me because even then a part of me probably knew that…that I would never be able to walk away from you. And then slowly, you..became…my best friend. Instead of Luke, now you were the one who was always there for me and in fact you did it better than Luke ever did. I guess when…Rachel came into the picture I realized that I truly did have feelings for you but I hated myself for it because I was supposed to be…Annabeth the girl who didn't need anyone tied to her...the girl who could only depend on herself…I shut you out because I was too proud…and stupid. But when we were in that throne room and I was looking at Luke dying and you alive I realized how naïve and ignorant I had been…and I realized that, I didn't love Luke…I loved…you," she whispered the last word.

Percy reached out his hand to take hers in his and wrapped his fingers around hers. "I-I don't know what to say…" he said.

"You don't have to say anything, Seaweed Brain," she smiled.

"I'm glad that we found each other when we did," he said. "Because I don't know what I would've done without you," he whispered.

Annabeth's eyes softened and she reached her free hand to brush Percy's hair out of his eyes. She leaned in to softly press her lips to his and he reached around her waist to pull her flush against him. He could feel her heart beating against his chest and it felt like every nerve ending in his body was a live wire. Her hands went to his chest pulling him even closer by his t-shirt.

"I don't know what I would've done without you either," Annabeth said when they finally broke apart. They went to sleep with Annabeth's head rested on Percy's and small smiles filling their faces.

**DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW EXCITING UPDATES COMING SOON! LOVE YOU ALL! YOUR SUPPORT CONTINUES TO AMAZE ME!**


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